Fuel

Lenna smiled a bit. She didn’t felt any different than a few moments ago, but she also knew that her life not really had changed. Nick was dead since over 5 years, she was since 5 years an orphan. She felt still like crying, but somehow Rome made her stop. She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Selling your soul is not funny as far as I know. Making a deal with a demon might get you what you want but the cost is never worth it. Because it means you go to hell, really to hell. And I rather die as getting a kidney you paid for with spending eternity in hell. So don’t you dare to sell your soul for me or anyone or anything!”

Lenna leaned against Rome’s shoulder.

“Wait did you just say I’m a Remington now? That is weird, it sounds um weird when you sit half naked next to me.” Lenna grinned. “Are you sure you are ready for a little sister? They sometimes take all the attention from the big brother and I know how much you enjoy the spotlight. And no matter how much little sisters try they always make you worry about them. At least that’s what... Nick said once to me, when he wanted me to stop learning how to ride a bike. Just because I looked after the first couple of times worse then I look now. I miss him, so much.”

After taking a deep breath Lenna managed to smile over the memory of Nick standing in the kitchen making her breakfast the first time in their new apartment. He looked scared of being really responsible for her, but mostly relieved to know she wasn’t in some stranger’s house.

“But thanks for telling me he wasn’t insane and just wanted me dead. It looked like it a lot. Hey Rome how awkward does it sound when I say I’m really glad to have you.”

"Considering the massive chick-flick moment we just had, not awkward at all," Rome laughed, diffusing the sweetness of the sentiment with humor before he could think about it. "Plus, you're currently in the arms of a gorgeous half-naked specimen of the male species, and I think I know about twelve pornos that start off like this, but don't get any ideas, because if you're my sister now, that's just gross."

He was pretty much kidding. He thought. Maybe. Okay, Rome Remington wasn't going to say no to anyone who wanted to sleep with him, but on a certain level, yes, that was just wrong. This was Elenna he was talking about.

Rome took a breath. "And I'm really glad to have you, too," he said, pulling her in against his chest again so he wouldn't have to look at her, in case he bared his heart a little too much. "I don't care if little sisters are annoying and stress me out. There's no possible way you could be more annoying than a twin brother."

She chuckled a little at that.

"Okay, help me up. I'm starving, and I think I smell pancakes. I don't know why, since I think it's dinnertime, but..."

Caleb wrote:"Sooo ... Father ... we've never met before but we both know Tex well. You come in as I walk out sorta deal?" Caleb joked.

"Ah, you must be Caleb then." Theo said as he set a plate in front of the young brunette. "No, I've just moved to Protection about a week ago. I've been away for a few years on...business, but I've known Texas since she wasn't much older than..." He looked at the young hunter.

"Morrigan." She said between mouthfuls.

Theo smiled. "...than Morrigan."

The door leading to the library creaked open, and Rome & Elenna came into the kitchen. They both had red, puffy eyes, but also smiles.

"Looks like we're gonna need more pancakes." Theo said as he moved back to the stove. The pan hissed as fresh butter hit hot metal. "How'd you sleep Romulus?" The old man asked, his eyes never leaving the cooking batter.

"Like the dead, Padre," Rome replied, grinning at the Father gratefully, although he knew the older man would recognize that even if he had slept peacefully, it had only been for a few short hours. Apparently long enough for the rest of the world to catch up, as the team sat around the table eagerly scarfing down pancakes.

Except for Caleb and Aly. God, had they?--were they?--ha! Rome almost snorted orange juice out his nose, but no one else seemed to be noticing. And he wasn't a complete dillweed, so he didn't actually say anything, though when he had half a chance he flashed Caleb a wide grin and a juvenile thumbs-up. Well done, you two, he said internally.

"So, cowboys and girls, what's the haps? Everyone back? Anyone heard from Danila yet? Can I have pecans in my pancakes?" The questions rolled so quickly off his tongue that no one had a chance to answer, if anyone had even displayed the inclination.

He surveyed the room, briefly. Caleb, Aly, here but wishing they were doing the horizontal fandango, check. Lenna, getting pancakes, as if she suddenly realized she was hungry. Lily sat on the counter, reading the newspaper, her pancakes half-eaten and getting cold beside her. Georgie, looking fresh and clean and not a hair out of place: he gave her a quick hug and a, "Sorry for ditching you in Columbus, G, we just wanted to get gone, you know? Sans Christina Aguilera," accompanied by as much of a wink he could manage with one eye still puffy.

He plopped down across from Morrigan, who was looking glum--with good reason--I mean, did anyone have any reason to be happy today, seriously, what the hell?--and made sure she was looking at him before asking, "How ya holding up? You need us to drive you anywhere?"

Rome snorted. "No way, dudette, you kidding me? You know the drill, and you're handy with a gun. You're part of the crew." He took a mouthfull of pancakes and pondered a moment. Quieter, "Way I see it--" he swallowed the pancakes and lowered his voice, "--you're a nice girl who just lost her brother. And just in case it isn't painfully obvious, you're not exactly alone in that around here. Birds of a feather, right?" He glanced at Elenna when he said this, but, come to think of it, he could have been looking at Aly or Lily or--himself.

"You never told me what happened to your brother," Morrigan said quietly, sympathetically.

Rome huffed. "Yeah, I guess I lost him, too."

"I'm sorry. How did it happen?"

"I--what? No, my bad. I mean, I lost him. Like, literally, as in misplaced. He ran off, I don't know."

Morrigan knit her brow. "How did that happen?"

Rome frowned. "He lost me."

Before this could get any more awkward, Rome took another oafishly large bite of pancakes and glugged down a glass of milk. "So. We leaving in the morning? I won't bother unpacking the car, then." He winked at Morrigan and raised his voice to the rest of the group. "Me and Mor are headed out come daybreak. Raise your hand if you're not sick of driving yet," he added with a sarcastic grin.

"I already assured Morrigan I'd come with her", Georgie replied with a smile. "So count me in." Her gaze passed from the Ferrari outside to Rome, and she raised one eyebrow. "You couldn't have spent your money more wisely, I assume?" The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable.

Rome flashed a perky grin at her. "Look at it this way; if I wouldn't have bought Vera- that's her name, by the way- you would constantly have to fight with me about who's driving your car, and not to mention the fact you would have to deal with Lenna's and my music..." He winked at Elenna who nodded supporting.

"All right, you got me." Georgie sighed, then looked at the cars. "You seriously called that huge swanky hell of a car Vera?" She looked from Rome to Morrigan. "Maybe you should reconsider your joining of this group, Morrigan, because let's face it; having him around..." Georgie's gaze passed from the other girl back to Rome, "gets you only into trouble."

"Of course you can drive," Rome said gratefully. The newness had already worn off, and he longed for the twelve-car garage back in his life of luxury pre-Andre. "Anyway, I'm thinking of changing its name. If she's Italian, Vera is stupid. How about, I dunno, Beatrice? As in, Dante's Beatr--"

Silence interrupted him. He glared around the table at the people giving him skeptical looks. "What? I do know how to read!"

"Right," Elenna laughed. "I just didn't think you actually did."

"Shut up," Rome replied, grinning, as he plucked a grape off the center of the table and threw it at her nose. "Okay, so us four? We'll take Mor's soccer-mom-mobile and the Ferrari, unless you wanna take the Audi, too, G? Anyone else coming? Where do you even live, Mor?"

"I'm all in," Caleb answered, shrugging his heavy shoulders, "We need another respectable machine in the convoy to make up for that new electric razor."

As he finished, Caleb indicated the Ferrari with a derisive grin. Part of him wanted to see just how that "electric razor" would perform if he got a chance to really open it up, but the rest of him loved his truck. He'd wanted a big truck for as long as he could remember, and had taken his on from a comrade who'd retired from Hunting to raise his family. Just up and left the business - something Caleb had never thought possible.

Then came the mental self-derision. He hadn't considered how much free time with Aly he'd just given up. He shot her an apologetic glance and resigned to still not being able to stand up with everyone else still in the room.

Georgina sighed. "I hope you'll get dragged to hell for your irresponsibility, Remington", she replied with a sarcastic grin. She knew that Rome would never let Elenna get hurt, so she had to trust him, but just the thought of that little brunette driving this huge thing...

She looked at Elenna . "Don't you even think about driving like a maniac Nascar driver, Elenna Fee!"

Lenna rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom!", and then whispered "Like I'm going to listen to you..."

With her new friends in tow, Morrigan knew that no matter what awaited her at Shane's funeral, things would be okay in the end. Sure, her life was going to change in big ways, but a part of her had known it was coming for a long time.

"You guys ready? This Colorado girl's got an unfortunate place to be."

She headed outside and started for the car, it was a long road ahead. She'd better start driving.

"'Irresponsible' is my middle name." Rome grinned at Georgie, who rolled her eyes. Then he turned back to Morrigan:

"Yeah, we're ready," he said, half-standing and hurriedly shoving more pancakes in his mouth. He reached across the table for the coffee pot, but a dark wooden cane struck from out of nowhere like a snake: "Ow! Shhh...what the hel...ck was that for, Padre?" Rome stuck his offended knuckles in his mouth.

"Why don't we take it easy on the caffiene, Romulus?"

"Okay, yeesh. You know, normal people just ask..."

"Would you have listened?"

"No," chimed practically everyone who sat around the table, in unison, as if this had been rehearsed.

"Yeah, well, screw you very much," he replied, pretending to be offended at the chorus of chuckles that ensued. "I'm gonna go get packed." He stood up, looked down at himself. "And, you know, dressed." He dumped the blanket unceremoniously onto Caleb's lap. "Put that in the laundry for me, would ya?" he asked, with a sly wink that was only for Caleb--and, okay, for the sake of human decency and the fact that there was a priest in the room and for his own personal ohmygod am I really the only one seeing this? amusement.

His own half-nakedness in the middle of the kitchen, however, was not a problem.

Without waiting for a reply Rome grabbed an apple off the counter, took a large bite out of it, and, chewing as obnoxiously as possible, darted back upstairs to his room.

Lenna looked from the door Rome just disappeared and back to Caleb something was going on here, something she didn't get.

Whatever. I'm going to drive Ve... Bea.. the Ferrari. That will be fun. I wonder how fast Rome lets me drive. If the police cars can catch up?

Lenna finished her orange juice, she wasn't really hungry and left half of the pancakes on her plate.

She went upstairs to get dressed and ready to leave. She was quickly dressed, repacked her bags and realised that none of her curse boxes where in her bags. She wasn't sure if they were in still in the Ferrari. She tried to remember if Rome mentioned anything about them. A knock made her look up.

"Lenna how are you? I still think you shouldn't drive."

Lenna looked at the blond girl at the door.

"I'm fine and I can drive. Hey do you know where the two curse boxes are in which I kept personal things?"

Now it was Georgie's turn to look uncomfortable.

"Lenna listen we thought that they might worked as your brothers remains so we burned them, I'm so sorry."

Lenna went pale but when she spoke her voice was steady.

"Oh well yeah it could have worked. That is okay, don't worry I'm fine."

Lenna took her bag and went outside to sit on the porch to wait for Rome.

Georgie watched Elenna turn her back on her, throwing the bag over her shoulder and going outside. Lenna is definitely not fine...Although Elenna tried to come off strong, her eyes told a different story. Not only did she lose her brother a second time, but now the curse boxes - one last remaining memory of him- were gone as well. She lost everything related to her family. While Georgina quickly changed into something more suitable for a funeral, a black Chanel dress, she thought of something that could cheer her friend up, but she knew that Elenna was going through a hard time right now, and she was the type of person who rather denied having a difficult time than showing it. Elenna tried to oppress her grief, but attending a funeral in a couple of hours wouldn't really help her with that. Georgie looked at herself in the mirror a last time, then grabbed her stuff and left the house.